Thermostatically controlled expansion valve



May 21, A. F. HOESEL THERMQSTATICALLY CONTROLLED EXPANSIQN VALVE Filed July so, 1938 Patented May 21, .1940

PATENT OFFICE THERMOSTATIOALLY CONTROLLED EXPANSION VALVE Anthony F. Hoesl, Chicago, 111., assignor to Peerless of America, Incorporated, Chicago, 111., a

corporation of Illinois Application July 30, 1938, SerialNo. 222,126

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to thermostatically controlled expansion valves for compression type refrigerating systems and more particularly to stop and start the refrigerant feeding function of this type of valve Whenever the refrigerant pressure, within the cooling unit, increases or decreases, respectively, from a certain predetermined pressure.

Thermostatically controlled expansion valves have what is usually termed a power element, comprised, in part, of either a diaphragm or bellows forming part of a closed pressure responsive assembly having, in combination, such diaphragm or bellows connected to' a temperature feeler bulb by means of a capillary tube. This power element assembly is charged. with a thermostatic fluid, usually the same fluid as used in the refrigerating system, and the extension or contraction of the flexible wall, diaphragm or bellows, acting upon the valve proper, during changes in temperature of the temperature feeler bulb, results in an opening or closing of such 'valve; and thereby regulates the feed of the refrigerant fluid to the cooling unit.

Since the main purpose, of thermostatically controlled expansion valves,-is to feed refrigerant fluid, to a cooling unit, in such quantities as will result in a certain superheat, of the vapor issuing from such cooling unit; and, furthermore, since the temperature feeler bulb, placed at the outlet of such cooling unit, is of higher temperature than the temperature of the refrigerant fluid, immediately after its passage through the valve, there occurs the possibility of the thermostatic fluid condensing within the diaphragm or bellows chamber adjacent the valve body.

If, due to particular design, such condensation occurs, it becomes necessary to so charge the closed pressure responsive assembly, with suflicient thermostatic fluid, so that whenever maximum condensation occurs, within such diaphragm or bellows chamber, there will still be some ther mostatic fluid, in liquid phase, in the temperature feeler bulb. In the art, such charging is generally termed liquid charged.

Now, whenever a thermostatically controlled expansion valve is liquid charged, the quantity of thermostatic fluid is such that at no time is.

the entire charge in its vapor phase. Therefore, throughout the entire operating range, of a refrigerating system, the valve usually tends to feed refrigerant to the cooling unit; however, only in such quantities as will maintain the superheat of the exit vapor in accordance with whatever the valve is adjusted to maintain.

A refrigerating system, served by such liquid charged valve, will operate under abnormally high pressures, in the cooling unit and especially so at the start of the refrigerating cycle, and until the cooling unit temperature has approached its normal operating temperatures. This results in increased power capacities necessary to overcome these high pressures as compared to the power capacities necessary to maintain the normal operating conditions.

An object of my invention is to provide socalled liquid charged thermostatically controlled expansion valve with a movement transmitter which has a definite extended length below a certain maximum predetermined refrigerant pressure and a contracted length at pressures above the predetermined pressure; the said movement transmitter, in its extended length, opening a valved passage responsive to movement of a thermostatic flexible walled member.

Another object is to provide a so-called liquid charged thermostatically controlled expansion valve which will have the same operating characstatically controlled expansion valve incorporating my'invention.

, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the movement transmitter of Figure 1. l

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 1, a casing I is closed, at its upper end, by means of a flexible diaphragm 2 and a diaphragm cover 4. It will be noticed that the marginal edge of the diaphragm cover 4 is at an angle to the perpendicular, and the complementary portions of the casing l and diaphragm 2 are mechanically rolled to the marginal edge of the diaphragm cover 4; thereby making a, joint having mechanical strength which is supplemented by soldering, shown at 5, in order to make the assembly pressure tight.

In the center of the diaphragm cover 4 is a bore 6 engaging a capillary tube 1 soldered at 8 and having, at its free end, a temperature feeler bulb 9.

The space in the temperature feeler bulb 9, the capillary tube 1, and between the diaphragm 2 and the diaphragm cover 4, is charged with a thermostatic fluid, usually the same fluid as circulated in the refrigerating system served by the particular thermostatically controlled expansion valve. The amount of thermostatic charge is such that whenever the entire space, between the diaphragm 2 and the diaphragm cover 4, and dur ing the maximum extension of the diaphragm 2, is filled with condensed thermostatic fluid, there will still remain some thermostatic fluid, in its liquid phase, in the temperature feeler bulb 9. In consequence of such thermostatic charging, the pressure exerted, by the diaphragm 2, will always be directly responsive to the thermal condition of the temperature feeler bulb 9, whenever the casing l is at a lower temperature than that of the temperature feeler bulb 9, which is the condition normally obtaining during operation. The casing I has a threaded bore I9 engaging a valve cage ll having a bore l2 in which is mounted a movable valve l3 having a seat I coacting with a bore l5 through which the pusher pin 16, integral with the valve !3, projects and normally contacts the movement transmitter l1. At its bottom portion, the valve l3 has a boss I8 serving to center a valve spring l9, which constantly urges the valve I3 to a closed position. The valve spring [9 is seated, at its lower end, in an inlet fitting 29 engaging a threaded bore 2| in the valve cage H and having a refrigerant inlet 22.

The casing I has an outlet 23 and a recess 24 which provides an abutment for the cover 25 of the movement transmitter l'l; thereby limiting the extension movement of the diaphragm 2 v which contacts the raised boss 26 of the movement transmitter IT.

The valve cage II has a reduced diametral portion 21, which provides a seat 28 for spring pressure adjustingwashers 29. The removal or addition of one or more spring pressure adjusting washers 29 results in a corresponding extension or compression of the diaphragm spring 30 which, at its lower end, engages a spring retainer 3| having a bore 32 engaging the reduced diametral portion 21 of the valve cage H, and seated 7 upon the spring pressure adjusting washers 29 as shown.

The upper end, of the diaphragm spring 30, seats against the cover 25 of the movement transmitter l1 and the pressure, due to the compression of the diapragm spring 39; is directly transmitted to the diaphragm 2 and against the pressure exerted by the thermostatic charge.

In Figure 2, the movement transmitter l'1 comprises a cover 25 having a, raised boss 26 at its top and an annular portion 33 at its lower side. The outside of the said annular portion 33 has soldered thereto a cup 34, and the inside of said annular portion 33 has "soldered thereto a bellows 35. The soldering is indica ed at 36.

v The lower end, of the cup34, has a bore 31 in which loosely plays a bellows cover 38'soldered to the bellows 35 as indicated at 39. Inside of the bellows 35 is disposed a spring 40 tending to keep the bellows in an extended condition. Also inside of the bellows 35 is a stop pin 4! which limits the contraction of-the bellows 35 to the amount of distance as indicated at 42.

With the aid of the above disclosure, we shall r now design, for certain assumed conditions, a thermostatically controlled expansion valve embodying the invention. The manner in which the particular problem is approached may be employed for any other set of conditions and the variables, for other conditions, are so well known in the art that it is presumed a practitioner, in the art, will, from this disclosure, be enabled to solve any particular problem in the employment of the invention.

We shall make the following assumptions:

First: The valve to control refrigerant feed to a cooling unit normally operated at a 40 F. temperature, but periodically closed down for periods of time suflicient for the cooling unit to attain temperatures of 80 F. or even higher.

Second: The refrigerant to be dichiorodifluommethane, which is commonly called Freon or F12.

Third: The thermostatic charge to be Freon.

Fourth: The vapor issuing from the cooling unit to have approximately 10 F. superheat.

Fifth: Diaphragm 2 to have an effective area of 3 square inches.

Sixth: Bellows 35 to have an eifective area of 1 square inch.

Seventh: Valve spring l9 to exert a force of 8 pounds urging the valve l3 to its closed position.

Eighth: Valve to cease feeding at, say, 46 F.-

cooling unit temperature or its equivalent in pressure of the refrigerant contained therein, which, in this particular instance. is 57.35 pounds per square inch absolute.

The two unknown quantities are the desired pressures of the diaphragm spring 30 and the bellows spring 40.

To solve for superheat setting (the desired pressure of the diaphragm spring 30), we con sult a temperature-pressure table for Freon, and note that at 40 F. we have a pressure of 51.68 pounds per square inch absolute. For a 10 F. superheat, we find 40 F. plus 10 F.=50 F: 61.39 pounds per square inch absolute, which will be the pressure in the thermostatic system due to the temperature feeler bulb 9 being at 50 F.

Now the bottom side, of the diaphragm 2, will be subjected to 51.68 pounds per square inch absolute and the top side will be subjected to 61.39 pounds per square inch absolute; and, to make the valve operative under the desired conditions, we must put the diaphragm in practically balanced condition.

61.39 minus 51.68=9.71 pounds per square inch of unbalanced pressure on diaphragm 2.

9.71 3=29.13 total pounds of unbalanced pressure on diaphragm 2.

Now, since the valve I 3 cannot open until the 8 pound force of valve spring I9 is overcome, we have 29.13 minus 8:21.13 necessary pressure to be exerted by the diaphragm spring 39 in order to maintain a 10 F. superheat.

To solve for the l glecessary force to be exerted by the bellows sp g 40, we shall assume that the bellows 35 contains air at, say 13.5 pounds per square inch absolute, at the 40 F. temperature. Consulting the temperature-pressure table again, we find that the pressure at 40 F.=51.68-

pounds.

While the specification and drawing show and said movablevalve and said thermostatic means.

a pressure contractible motion transmitter in said I space and comprising a hermetically sealed bellows member having a definite extended length at external pressures below a predetermined maximum, a compression spring within said bellows and tending to maintain the extended length between spaced abutments and abutment means to 'limit the contraction of said bellows member t external pressures above the predetermined max- 10 imum. 1

ANTHONY F. HOESEL. 

